The Cranky Creative, Author at The Cranky Creative Blog

July 18, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Business buzzwords and corporate jargon I hate

The corporate world runs on business jargon—bullshitty buzzwords that mask the meaning of the things we want to say. Why do so many businesspeople muddle their messages with mush-mouthed words

the cranky creative blog turns 1 year old on july 5

July 1, 2019 The Cranky Creative

The Cranky Creative blog turns one

The Cranky Creative blog first lit the pixels of computer screens a year ago on July 4, 2018. Frustrated with the red tape, politics, and backstabbing stupidity that pervades the

June 19, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Ad Review: Allstate. Mayhem. WHAT?

“Mayhem” is the character that creates mischief and, er, mayhem in all those Allstate insurance TV commercials. Mayhem is also what nearly happens in my bedroom at 2 a.m. when

chevy blazer tv commercial showing real people

June 11, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Ad Review: Chevy’s hilariously bad Real People ads

Chevy’s “Real People” commercials have been around for years, but I’ve been fortunate enough to dodge them—at least until last Tuesday when I found myself a captive audience in a

liberty-mutual-limu-emu-tv-commercials-are-lame-o

May 30, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Ad Review: Liberty Mutual’s LiMu Emu is Lame-O

I’m no fan of Liberty Mutual TV commercials, having savaged the company’s awful “Truth Tellers” ads in January. But soon after, the company rolled out a new campaign. “LiMu Emu

bad-advertising-and-commercials-are-everywhere

May 16, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Hey, advertisers! People hate you, and you deserve it

Tired of junk mail? Of too-loud commercials blasting your ears? How about those full-screen pop-up ads you can’t close until you play an asshole game of “Click the Tiny X

flint-mcglaughlin-marketing-optimization-quick-win-clinics

April 24, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Meet Flint McGlaughlin, mad marketing genius

In a world where every Tom, Dick, and Jane on the Internet is a self-proclaimed marketing expert, it’s refreshing to see someone share no-BS marketing insights derived from rigorous testing

unhappy copywriter drinking surrounded by crumpled papers

March 26, 2019 The Cranky Creative

54 percent of copywriters feel lack of respect: UK survey

The United Kingdom’s Direct Marketing Association surveyed 433 British copywriters and found . . . a lot of cranky creatives. See why they’re so unhappy. The 2014 survey—the first and

March 12, 2019 The Cranky Creative

Please, do not “hit me up” on a Friday afternoon

I hate receiving job requests on Fridays. I work hard all week, and by the time Friday rolls around, I just want to see all of my current jobs through

February 26, 2019 The Cranky Creative

“The Beekeeper’s Secret”

A Very Short Story. Some years ago, I worked for a creative director who regularly organized activities meant to inspire her copywriters and designers and reset our creative brains. One

January 29, 2019 The Cranky Creative

How video games made me a marketing copywriter

Unofficially, my career as a marketing copywriter started in 1980 when I was 10. Then, as now, I loved video games. I loved the technology—cool-looking plastic boxes that pumped colorful